Young monks
Chiang Mai, Thailand – Microsoft’s Windows VISTA offers dim hope for enlightenment during the convocation ceremony for these novice monks at Wat Pantao in the core of the moat-bound city. Maybe switching to Apple will hold the answer? Either way, it’s interesting to see the role new media is playing in the world these days.
Songkran: Thai New Year
WATER FIGHT!!! What began centuries ago as a traditional celebration of the Thai astrological new year has devolved into a friendly national water fight geared to stave off the hottest days of the Thai year. A hundred years ago, younger Thais would travel to their parent’s place to give gifts to the beloved elders and […]
Takin' it to the streets (AWANA)
The PBJ ministry (Philippine Basketball for Jesus) children’s AWANA-style program: One dozen volunteers, 70 street kids and 2 glorious hours of Christ-centered fun and games: a bright window through the grey backdrop of metro-Manila’s urban poor… Enough talk… sign up HERE and come see for yourself!
Yo ho, me hearties… yo ho!
On the small island of Panglao, south of Bohol, in the middle of the Philippine archipelago, local fishermen have turned dolphin watching into an commercial art form, but when it comes to choosing a boat – let the buyer beware!What began for us as a 3-hour tour almost turned into an episode from Gilligan’s Island. […]
Don't feed the animals
Now halfway into a short-term tour of SE Asia; it’s time for a family break to debrief and unwind from the constant cultural adjustments that we’ve been making since arriving here almost 2 months ago. We decide to work with a tour guide for a couple of days as we settle into Tagbilarin, Bohol and […]
Alms for the boaters?
On tour with family for a couple of weeks to the Visayas, central islands of Philippines. Fishermen in small boats called “bancas” from the island of Cebu gather alongside the docking SuperFerry (a primary means of inter-Island transport) to dive for peso coins thrown to them by passengers aboard deck 3 of the larger vessel. […]
Eat your greens
Fresh fruit is plentiful in season, but despite the tropical environs, fresh vegetables are often hard to come by. Below, a young boy wades into the greasy-gray waters of Marikina River to gather kangkong for the family meal. Kangkong is a spinich-like vegetable used in several Filipino dishes that, depending upon where it is harvests […]
Can you dig it?
Had the chance to join writer Mike Gingrich on assignment for Jeepney magazine… a fledgling street mag geared to help the urban poor get a leg up on life. The Pinoy term Mangangalakal can mean entrepreneur, but in the relocated squatter community of Tansa 1, it refers to individuals with a salvage lisence for the […]
Shalom Bahay Paanakin: birthing clinic
Awarded “Member of the British Empire” by Queen Elizabeth, Mavis Orton (75) oversees over 125 births a month from a 2-room clinic adjoining her house in Antipolo, Philippines.
Bahala na
In Tagalog, the primary language of the Philippines, there is a phrase that is thought to capture the easy going way of life among Filipinos here… bahala na. Loosely translated, it means “Let it go”. Yet, it is also the name of a gang of hardcore street kids with a “Lord of the Flies” fraternity. […]
Manila by Night
Click to view a panoramic night-view of metro-Manila from Antipolo, Philippines.
Papa John’s Orphange
Though trained as a dentist, Gemma Bacuyag in her mid-30’s is not focusing on her income as much as she is her output. She now pours her energy into the care of 15 children living in her family’s home. The project, partially supported by Action International, is called Papa John’s Orphanage. With no official budget or […]
